§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current level of funding by his Department for research into problems associated with dementia in the elderly.
Mr. JacksonThe Medical Research Council, which receives a grant in aid from this Department, is the main agency through which Government fund medical research in the United Kingdom. In 1986–87, the last financial year for which figures are available, the council spent £4:15,000 on projects directly related to dementias and a further £2.4 million on research that could increase our understanding of dementias. Some support for research on dementia is also provided through UGC block grants to universities and medical schools.